Your Goals This Season; Setting and Achieving

Hi again!!

Last I wrote, I mentioned I would have my next post on setting goals; so, that is what we are going to discuss in this entry.

I'm sure we have all set goals we have hit; feels great! We have also set goals that we haven't hit; awful feeling. I hope what I have to say helps you set yourself up for success this season and for all of 2013.

Before you begin, you need to look at and analyze your goals from last year. What were they, did you achieve them, why did you achieve them, or why didn't you achieve them? These questions are so important for moving forward with new goals. If you didn't achieve them, why not? Were they too lofty, life situations arise, maybe you didn't go about achieving them in the right way. This was the case for my goals last year. It wasn't a matter too lofty, but rather not having the right approach.

First we'll talk about setting that goal this year. If you reflect and see it was a matter of a lofty goal, then you need to create one slightly more attainable, OR you need to set a series of rigid "mini" goals along the way that leave no other option but setting you up for success.

Maybe your goal was fine, but the failure was in the execution. In this case you need to sit back and really analyze why you fell short. What held you back? Didn't stick to the training plan, perhaps stuck to the training plan too rigidly, race too much that you couldn't adjust and recover, drink too much on Friday nights, etc? If your reason fits in that category, then perhaps it is just a matter of "sticking to the plan" this time around. If your reasons don't fit above; if you stuck to your plan and are not sure why you still came up short then you should consult a confidant. I have a small team of people that I am close to and who know a great deal about my goals and aspirations when it comes to triathlon. In addition, I make sure my team only consists of people who do not sugar coat, and will be bitterly honest with me at every turn. When I came drastically short from my goals last year I talked to them to get some advice and see an outsiders' perspective. The overwhelming idea from them was that I needed a personal coach; someone who worked on my side, by my side, one-on-one; with the expertise and the know-how on what it takes to get to, and then succeed at that top level. Done! Same goals as last year, but a reorganization of those "mini" goals AND a personal coach to analyze my every move along the way. Also, notice the theme, I am adding another person to my team, who keeps my best interests at heart and isn't afraid to tell it straight. 

Above I spoke about setting "mini" goals along the way. This is an important step in achieving your goals. While sticking to your plan plays an integral part in achieving your goals, you must realize your season is a long time, where a lot happens and changes throughout; it is like a river bed with an occasional new obstacle. You need to be the water in the river; you need to be able to move, and adapt along the way when things don't go along to your plan. Again, these are the times you can lean against your team for advise too. Just make a simple tweak to those "mini" goals and stay on track. Be assured these things will happen, so don't let stress be a factor and fog your end goal and judgement.

Something else to think about is the big picture as well. Maybe you have a grand goal in mind. In which case maybe the goals this season are actually just one of those "mini"goals to achieve that grand idea. If this is the case it is sometimes hard to stay on the right path. You need to always keep that master goal in mind, stay firm to your steps along the way, but be flexible along the way and make changes when necessary. and by all means, again, it is so important to have the person, or team of people who know your overall goal and can help keep you on the right path along the way, AND step in when you're going astray.

Obviously, this is such a loaded topic. I am eager to hear any of your ideas, stories, and/or questions on this topic. Drop me a line!

Keep Running,

Rob

Starting 2013

So the new year has officially started. What does this mean? Mostly a loss of time; but it also means a chance at new races and performances. As we know, I need to have a better season if I am going to move forward in this sport.

One big change that I made for 2013 is hiring a private coach. I can't explain how excited I am about this change. I signed none other then Ramon Bermo. If you have been following and reading my blog for a while, you undoubtedly remember me talking about him before. I wanted to go with someone I am comfortable, and someone who knows how to push and motivate me. Coach Bermo was the one who re-ignited my running flame, and motivated me down this endurance road some 6 years ago. I decided, having performed well under his tutelage in the past, he was confidently the way to go. I had a meeting with him on Tuesday night to officially hash everything out for the season; training styles, regimen, race schedule and approach, etc. I thought I was excited before, now I am pumped and motivated. Our meeting ended up being the better part over 90 minutes,

If I have any advice for hiring a coach it would be two key things. You want someone you are comfortable with, and someone who you know has your back throughout the season. Remember, this person is your objective look at yourself. They will clearly see your goals, progress and necessities, when you focus, opinions and motivation are fogged. For me, it was important that my coach both understands and supports my goals. Once I and we established my clear set and order of goals, his concern wasn't 'can this be done', but rather 'how are we going to get this done'. That is what you need in a coach.

That last paragraph actually touches on another great topic too; goals, both figuring out, and setting them up. Although, that is quite a loaded topic; so I think I will save that for my next entry. I'll end this one here. Talk soon folks. please email with any questions and comments!

Top Triathlon Toys for 2013

Happy Holidays everyone!! So, what'd everyone get for this Christmas? Did you not get what you were hoping, but now have some cash to spend? Well, below I have included a small list of my favorite things as I am heading into the 2013 season! So, grab that cash and go by yourself what you really wanted to get!

~Trek Speed Concept by Trek Bikes

~~ this bike is just the thing to get you from T1 to T2 in the fastest time then ever before.

~Hilo II Triathlon cycling shoes by Bontrager

~~your sock-less foot doesn't get more comfortable then inside these shoes; with two easy-to-close straps and an easy-on heel pull tab.

~Kwicky training shoe, and K-Ruuz 1.5 race flat by K-Swiss

~~from training day to racing day; these shoes are light and flexible/ enough ventilation to keep the sweatiest of feet cool. add K-Swiss' Ion-Mask and your foot stay dry even in heavy rain. don't accept any other shoes on your feet!

~Ambit wrist-top watch by Suunto

~~this watch gives you every data result you could possibly ask for. add the new integrated GPS and you will always know your route, and navigation back home if you make a wrong turn.

~Dash XP sunglasses by Native Eyewear

~~your eyes couldn't be shaded more comfortably. with your choice of lenses from clear for rainy days to blacked-out for a cocoon of darkness for blinding sun, you will always see that pothole in the road.
~If you live in the NYC or downstate NY area, check out Danny's Cycles for all of your cycling needs. View their website for all locations and contact info. Definitely the best shop around!

So, there ya go! These are all of the best toys/tools I use for my training and racing. Now, you just have to do the training. Any questions, drop me a line!

Bye for now!

To Spain and Back

Most important thing, regardless of the race performance, my wife set up a trip that would be amazing. Filled with several stops, lots of touring, great wine, and fantastic jamon and food. But let's starts from arriving in Spain.

It was a fine flight in, and commute to the hotel. I checked in with Team USA, and assembled my bike for the Half Iron competition in a couple days.

After having some nice pinxtos (Basque version of tapas), and some tasty wine I got back to the hotel to prep mentally a little. After a quick stop at the Team info board I saw a blow up version of the course map. The map depicted the Long Distance course; which was nearly double the distance of which I had prepped. That's right, yours truly was days away from doing a race of which I was vastly under trained. After crapping myself, a lot, Molly commented that I either do the race, or I don't. Thanks for the obvious tip, Molly. But she was right, I had a choice, either I do, or I don't. Whatever my decision, I stick to it and I prep and move forward. Considering the obvious, I realized I didn't come to Spain to sit on the sideline. I was going to race.

Now the hard part, beginning to wrap my head around the fact that I have to go almost double the distance of which I am trained.

Over the next few days I developed my amended goal, nutrition and overall race plan.

Each new morning before the race brought a new series of thoughts and emotions; ranging from what have I decided to do, to obviously I'm just doing this for fun, to I've got this in the bag. Although, every time I looked in the mirror, all I saw staring back was worry and frustration. Frustration because my apparent carelessness and lack of attention to detail has put me in a very bad and unprepared state. Also frustrated because I have let down myself, my sponsors, and most importantly those closest to me. Worried because I was afraid of what physical damage I may cause to my body with this distance and lack of prep.

Regardless of how much I wanted to put the race off, or how badly I just wanted to race and get it over, Sunday still came about in normal time. So race morning is a normal race morning; only difference is now I get to don a TEAM USA race kit; finally I'm wearing Red, White and Blue! I do my usual pre-race prep; both at the hotel, and then at T1. Next, I'm hearing that infamous ITU drum beat as we wait on the beach...then...BOOOOMMM! The canon has signaled the start of the race; IT'S ON.

I finished the 2.5mile swim, and had never been so happy to touch earthly ground in my life. Next up is 75 miles on the saddle through amazing rural country villages in the Basque region of Spain. A quick side not on the bike portion. Every year I emphatically watch the various tours on TV, and every tour I think it looks so annoying and rude how the spectators would stand right in front of you as you ride past, nearly missing them. This is not the case in real life, it is exhilarating, and motivating; it adds a such an amazing touch to the experience and makes you feel like a real rock star! Anyways, I finished the bike with a respectable time, and headed off the bike and into T2 in the center of town. The 19mile run looped through town 4 times. The run course was lined with crowds at least 4 deep, sometimes as deep as 13 people; again, rock star status.

Alas I finished the run, and the race. Top half at that too. Not too bad considering I wasn't nearly prepared enough for the distance, let along actually competing...never thought I would be happy with a top 50% finish!

The best energy surrounded the town for the remainder of the day and night. Everyone in town ate, drank, and celebrated. After that, it was on to relaxing and enjoying life's finest cured hams, wines, and seafood. It was fantastic! But those are all stories to share over drinks!

And yes, I would do this race again...properly though!

'Till next time!

2012 Season Round-Up

This has been a season of podium finishes, fun, follies, and some all out failures. From, Florida 70.3, to Long Distance World Championships in Spain I have seen a ton and learned a lot. 

If you've read or heard about my Spain trip, you know I learned a major lesson on a major platform; always, always, no matter how sure you are, look at the course maps carefully and study. Going to a race thinking you are doing one distance, and finding out you are indeed doing something you have vastly under trained for is a rough lesson. In my case this was also a very costly one!

I was met with some more schooling in Florida 70.3 at the start of my season. Without a firm grasp on my new nutritional plan and needs, coupled with extreme heat, I learned that nutrition is key. Regardless of expertise, you need to have a definitive nutrition plan, stick to it, and know how to alter it under different or unexpected circumstances.

I also raced in Maine this summer. While I had a podium finish, I definitely feel I could have done better. One take-away is that when I'm feeling good, I can push it some more towards the end. I feel I was mentally disconnected a bit from my body this season. I didn't gauge as well, my pain threshold/tolerance levels. This is only something I can work on during training and speed work.

I'll write more later about over all lessons and how I plan to alter training for this coming season. Although, all in all, it was a good season, with so many good lessons.

Until my next entry!

Just Chillin!!

Hey everyone. A couple weeks have passed. Not too much to update on. I had a race (The Yonker's Half Marathon) the other weekend. Since my training has been on the lighter side, I did not expect much. So, you can imagine my surprise when I pulled out a sub-1:30.00, and made top 15. I'll take it. I hope this is a sign of things to come.
On the fun side of things, I have finally started assembling my race schedule for the 2011 season. It will kick off with the New Orleans Half Ironman. Here I come NOLA.
I'll update on the rest of the schedule later as it develops.
That's all for now. Cheers!! Go hit the road!!

...Yeah...

So, it has been sometime since my last post. My biggest apologies.

What I have been up to since?
1. NYC Marathon - I paced my fiancee to help her get a PR. Successful!!
2. Knickerbocker 60K - I raced my first ultra marathon successfully. I finished in the top 20 which is what I wanted. Awesome experience and can't wait to do it again someday.
3. Mooseman70.3 - I completed my first Half Ironman. This was amazing. It poured rain the entire time, I lost my siting during the swim, my leg cramped like no tomorrow on the bike, and I flew on the run. The entire time I smiled though. It was one of the single best experiences in my life. I can't wait to really train hard and come out of the gates swinging next season. I'm stoked!!
4. Mrs. Tafrate - I got married!!! I married said girlfriend and fiancee mentioned during many past posts. Most amazing day ever! SHE SAID YES!!! I can't wait to always have my very own Mrs. Molly Tafrate, my best friend, by my side for all of my endurance adventures; forever.
5. Costa Rica - I was lucky enough to spend my honeymoon with my new wife in Costa Rica for two weeks. It was AMAZING!! A post and pictures to follow in a future post.
6. Job - I made a career change. I am now able to live my passion all day, every day. I left the desk job at Team In Training for an awesome change to coaching and an amazing job as manager at JackRabbit Sports UES! I now get to live and breath my sport, and introduce it to new people everyday.

Life is pretty good right now. I am super excited to be back on here. I hope you all start to follow again; and enjoy living endurance vicariously through my eyes and words.
Never stop moving!!

Cheers,
Rob

Some Colorado Adventure

It has slowed a hair, only a hair though. So I though I might take the opportunity to update quickly. So The last entry ended up being more of a race cap, than anything else. This time, lets talk about some of the fun adventures I have been on in the past 2 weeks.

 

Started on July 3^rd. Headed out to Ohio, for a friends wedding. I went to the Doo Dah Parade on July 4^th, in Columbus. If you have never been to the DooDah, it's a must go event. I can't even tell you about it. Then, we headed to Troy, Ohio, and did the Tri the next morning.  An awesome event, HFP Racing puts on a terrific local event. I would definitely do it again in the future. After the race, we rushed back to the house to shower up and get ready for the wedding; not much down time. We went to the wedding, yada-yada. We then flew out early the next morning for CO for a week.

 

Arrived CO, and went to town on that place. We did everything from running, to white water rafting. I did a few hill workouts, which blew my legs apart. Later that day I went fly-fishing. The cold, cold water felt great on my legs from earlier that day. That is a fun sport, so relaxing. It is always nice to slow things down a touch, and just enjoy nature pass by. The guide we went through was Crystal Fly Shop. They were a great outfit, and real knowledgeable. I would recommend them to any one looking to learn and experience the art & sport of fly fishing.

We spent a day on top Aspen Mountain playing Frisbee golf. Always a blast. We played the front nine only, I shot a four on every hole except for the first and last; talk about consistency. Following, a couple of us went down to the Village, and relaxed with some cocktails and seafood apps, before heading back to Sagewald for some pizza and beer.

Next day we spent some time on the bike along the Colorado River, followed by a nice hike, and then back on the bike and back into town. That was an awesome day, with some real hardcore playing.  You gotta love playing outside Colorado Style. The day was capped off with a another nice wedding along a stream bed

Now, you would think that the next day we might relax and take it easy; nope! Went back out and at it again. We went down the Slaughter House Falls. That's right, white water rafting down Class 4 rapids. This was a blast. We went through this awesome outfit called Kiwi Adventure Ko (KAK as they more affectionately go by). This was an amazing group of guides.  Each raft was intimate in that it only had two people, plus a guide. This allowed the raft to twist and turn a lot easier, and even flip and send us floating down the current on a couple occassions.  This was a blast, and the guides (mostly from New Zealand) were absolutely outstanding. I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for an awesome, thrilling adventure.

What next you ask? Your's truly got engaged. That's right, I am now fianced. Looks like this year will be even busier then thought.

It is now back to normalcy though in New York. Trying to unpack everything after our move, busy with work, and trying to keep up with my training. The weekend runs are getting long.

 

Well, this has been a lot of writing, so I will cut it off here, and let you get on with your day.  Look forward to the next entry, and get back to some basics of training. Until the next adventure…go play outside!

Been A Whiiiiiile

It has been some time since my last post. So much has happened since then. I have moved apartments, done two triathlons, traveled to Ohio and Colorado for two weddings and a vacation, and got engaged. I have gone white water rafting (class four rapis) and fly fishing for the first time ever. I went for a 30 mile ride followed by a run 1.5 miles up a 1,200 foot incline to the most beautiful lake and waterfall overlooking a mountain range. Plus so much more. The whole time I have been able to keep up with my training for the most part which is a complete puzzle to me. For the most part, training is going well. I feel like some days have taken a hit because of too much going on.
There are days where I have done so much, that by the time I get to bed it feels like morning was ages ago. So, what do I write about first? How about my first two triathlons ever...

First: Flat As A Pancake Sprint Tri: June 27th
This was an awesome event, and even better first event to introduce triathlon. You could definatelt tell it was a local event, which are always the best. It was out in Staten Island. The swim was in the Ocean. For never having practiced the swim, and not having a wetsuit, I guess it went as well as could be expected. The water was freezing, and saltier then heck. I finished quite poorly in that leg. I hustled out the water, and into transition, grabbed the bike quickly and out T1 I went. I hopped on the bike and started full steam ahead. I began to start picking them off one at a time. The bike was going well for me, and my body was feeling great. Looks like being an endurance runner has helped condition the legs for triathlon quite well. I kept biking, fueling, and hydrating and eventually parked the bike in T2, slipped on the racers and was passing through RunOut in no time. The run was an 5k out-&-back. Legs felt great, and I was flying through the k's like no ones business. I rounded the turn-around and headed for the finish. I was able to negative-split the run, which is always a great thing. I made it to the finish and there was tons of cheering, and an all around great feel in the air. It was fantastic. I reflected over the race, and came to a few conclusions, I didn't stop smiling the entire time, tiathlon is awesome, really, really awesome, the community is cool and chill, and I suck at the swim; and I mean suck.
We stayed for the awards ceremony, and I got a nice little surprise, a trophy for 2nd place in my divission. Not bad, huh? It was a great first experience with triathlon, completely hooked.

Second: Caesar Creek's Wheelie Fun Triathlon: July 5th
The was a great event taking place in Waynesville, Ohio. Again, totaly a local event, with homemade PB&J sandwiches (in a bucket) served at the end. This time, the swim was in a nice warm, gentle lake. I am still bad at the swim though, but at least this time it wasn't as painful; despite the fact it was double the distance of the first one. Again, I speedily ran out of the water and into T1. I donned the helmet and shades, grabbed the bike, and out T1 I went. I hopped on the bike and was off. I biked, hydrated, and made my way through the VERY hilly course and sped my way into T2. I ditched the helmet and the bike, slipped into my run shoes, and out T2 I went. As I rounded the first turn, I caught a glimpse of the athletes ahead of me ducking into the woods. WHAT?!?! The website made no mention of trail running. Oh well, can't do anything about it now, lets go on the adventure. So, I headed into the woods, and made my way down the single track run course. When I passed people, it was in calf and knee deep wheat grass, or on a steep, gravely ledge. I was on an all out cross country run course. Made my way around the turn around point, and headed for the finish. I was surprisingly feeling great, and picked up the pace some more. I made it to the finish line in great time, and celebrated with some PB&J and watermelon...mmmmmm. I'm telling you, you can't beat local races. I finished with the second fastest run time, inside the topr 50 overall, and 4th place in my age group. Triathlon seems to be going pretty well for me so far; I am hooked.
I learned a few things this race too. 1. I will always try and keep local races in my seasonal schedule; 2. Websites sometimes withhold major details about their course, like single track runs, and incredibly hilly bikes; 3. I don't stop smiling when I do triathlon (no matter how much pain I am going through) and 4. I still SUCK at swimming :).
Well, I think that is enough writing for now, I am sure you need to get going. I will write more later about all of my recent adventures. Until then...

Kickin It

It's been just another week of training out there. I have been busting the chops with training last week especially with such a hectic schedule t work again.

 

Here's a quick run down of last week:

Monday - Easy recovery 6

Tuesday - 1m warmup, 5m@10k pace, 1m cooldown

Wednesday - Easy recovery 5

Thursday - 1m warmup, 3 lower loops tempo (each 3 seconds faster)

Friday - Recovery Day

Saturday - Easy 5 recovery, plus cross train

Sunday – Brick, 20m cycle, followed by 5m run (run was the Father's Day 5 Miler; Happy Father's Day, Dad!!)

 

The brick went great.  The ride was a little hard to get into, but once I hit transition, I started to fly.  The run went real well; each mile was a negative split.  Hit all the fluid stations, and body handeled everything perfectly.  Still felt energized after the race too.  Good sign heading into this weekend.

The sprint tri is this weekend, haven't practiced the swim as much as I should have, but I definitely feel ready for the bike and run.  This should be interesting. I can't tell you how excited I am to get out there.  I have been watching tri on TV (Universal Sports Network, my fave, check it out) for some time now, and have been anticipating this for a while.  It all just looks so amazing, the swim, the fast paced transitions, flying around turns on the bike, and then hammering it out on the run; leaving it all out there on the course.  I am looking forward to this weekend, and I can't wait to tell you all about it.

That should be it for now, this is carrying on longer then I imagine you would like to read.  I'll talk to you all later.

Cheers!